LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chap. Copyright No. 

8helf___<._C-^ 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




PIKE'S PEAK 



PROSPEGTIVE VIEW 



FROM 



PIKE'S PEAK 



1/ 

KATHERINE LHE CHAMBERS 

(Alta \'isi a I 



THE WESTERN EISTEDDFOD PRIZE POEM 



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COPYRIGHTED iSqb 

BY 

KATHERINE LEE CHAMIiERS 



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When morning stars together sang 
That glad birth-song of joy which rang 

Through all the halls of space, 
World after world in rhythmic time 
Joined the processional sublime, 

And hastened to its place. 



Each in accordance with The Will^ 
Its wondrous purpose to fulfill ; 

And Earth, so newly grown, 
Feeling a thrill of strange unrest, 
Gave birth and laid upon her breast 

This mighty hymn of stone. 

Here, sheltered by huge rock-bound arms. 
Calmly outstretched against alarms 

As in primeval days. 
Still stands the Rocky Mountain Queen, - 
Pikers Peak, with grave majestic mien, 

A pyramid of praise. 



The pilgrim pausing at its base^ 
Feels awed, as if here, face to face, 

He meets with Nature^s God ; 
Strange fancies through his mind now float. 
He dreams he sees the Hand that sm^ote 

Obedient rock and sod. 



Then turning Vound he sees in truth. 
Rivaling the fabled Fount of Youth, 

Life-giving waters flow; 
While o^er his head a cloud at rest. 
Spirit of Manitou the blest. 

Is, dove-like, brooding low* 



Belowt the gates, — the palisodes 
Of the fair Garden of the Gods- 

With heads uplifted stand, 
Disclosing to th' enraptured sight, 
Tablets, thrown from a Sinai's height 

By some Titanic hand. 

And quaintest sculpturings in stone. 
Under some artist's hand have grown 

'' Sphinx'' and '' Cathedral Spire," 
'' Liberty," with her Phrygian cap- 
While farther on in old Earth's lap. 

Fulfilling all desire. 



The land where roamed but yesterday 
The savages in fierce array - 

Civilization's foes ; 
Playground of buffalo and deer, 
Made by the sturdy pioneer 

To ^^ blossom as the rose/' 



Never in the eternal years, 

Has bloomed, untouched by dewy tears, 

A place, whose ev'ry part 
From western rocky parapet. 
To eastern bound, horizon set. 

Shows more the Maker's art* 




CATHEDRAL SPIRES 



Never has mind^s imaginings 

Such color caught, or forms of things 

That give a deeper sense 
Of the Divine infinitude, 
Than this, — Creation^s grand prelude 

To harmony intense* 



Fain would he linger, but desire. 
Kindled at Nature^s altar-fire. 

Urges to new delights ; 
Aspiring, he resolves anew 
To onward climb to broader view- 

Upward to greater heights* 



Ascending by the winding brook, 
He passes many a shady nook 

Of boulders formed, and trees; 
Brief avenues of spruce and pine 
Lend fragrance as of breath divine 

To ev^ry passing breeze. 

The air is full of life and love, 
Birds warble in the trees above ; 

And evVy one and all, 
Down to the tiniest fluttering thing. 
The happiness of freedom sing 

For creatures great and smalL 



Onward through flowering branch and vine 
And hedges of sweet columbine^ 

To crystal lake and stream^ 
Wherein the mirrored mountains tall 
Like battlements of heaven^s wall 

And shadowy bastions, gleam* 

Up through the flowers and foliage rare; 
Up the steep granite shoulders bare; 

Beyond the sound of bee, 
Or voice of bird ; up through the cloud, 
That wraps like a gray wizard^s shroud 

The mount in mystery. 



Down on Cheyenne, above a grave/* 
Like tossing plumes the pine trees wave ; 

A requiem sighs the wind; 
Such spots as these are pilgrim shrines, 
** The Delphian vales, the Palestines, 

The Meccas of the mind/^ 



From this lone grave will virtues rise; 
And many a form that death defies. 

To bless the earth, be given ; 
And from each hollowed tear here shed, 
A light be born that overhead 

Shines on the path to heaven. 



'•' iieleii Hunt Jackson's ^rave is on Cheyenne Mountain. 



Farther southward the pilgrim sees, 
Nestled like the lost Pleiades, 

The *^ seven-sister ^^ lakes ; 
But pausing not, where ev^ry glance 
Teaches ^^ To be, is to advance,^^ 

His upward course still takes. 



Toward the high summit now in sight. 
Its white crown sparkling in the light, 

He climbs oVr boulders steep ; 
Over rough crags and rocky wold. 
Where snows six thousand summers old 

In cooling breezes sweep. 




FALLS, CHEYENNE CANON 



At length the pi!Iar-top he gains ; 
The mountain's lofty height attains ; 

And in the sunset light, 
Sees earth below, and radiant sky ; 
And gazes with bewildered eye 

Upon the glorious sight* 

Beneath his feet in the soft glow, 
Glitters the jewelled crown of snow ; 

And waving to and fro, 
A veil of mist, which hides from view 
The world, wrapped in a robe of dew. 

That silent lies below. 



While over all, a glamour, known 
To this enchanted world alone, 

Is cast ; and one by one 
The sunbeams with a tender grace 
Withdraw, and shadows take their place. 

As slowly dies the sun. 

Twilight puts on her rcbe of gray, 
Lingers awhile, but does not stay ; 

Then silently the stars. 
Like brilliant tapers tall, are seen ; 
And Vega with her face serene. 

Subdues the red-eyed Mars, 



An awful silence; neither sound 
Nor sign of life from depth profound; 

When suddenly a glow 
Flashes across the face of Night^- 
^Neath the pole-star a signal light 

Kindles to life below, 



Myriads of lights, that vigil keep 
Over the city wrapped in sleep,- 

The star-clusters of earth, 
That shine o^er Traffic taking rest ; 
Ambition^s hands crossM on her breast ; 

Dreams that to Hope give birth. 



From many a SDlitary lamp 

And lonely fire of mountain camp. 

Shines forth a single beam ; 
While from the village and the town^ 
The lights, like seeds of glory sown, 

Through darkness brightly gleam. 

Above, the great star-cross appears,- 
The hopeful breast the omen cheers; 

As age to age succeeds, 
This emblem shining in the sky. 
To nobler thoughts and deeds most high 

Each generation leads. 



The pilgrim^s faith, toward its high noon, 
Rose crescive with the crescent moon; 

While gleaming in the west, 
He sees again the symbol blest, 
** The sign by which we conquer,^^ rest 

Upon the mountain's crest. 

When starry sentinels on high 
Are paling in the eastern sky. 

The eager pilgrim stands, 
And sees, as from a ship's tall mast. 
Across an ocean dim and vast. 

Faint outlines of far lands : 



A dull shore waiting for the light ; 
When lo ! from out the scabbard Night, 

A flaming sword is drawn, 
That touches first the precipice, 
Then flashes ^cross the hushed abyss 

With trailing light, — the Dawn ! 

When at the dawn of that great day, 
A world before Columbus lay. 

Silent, he gazed, in tears ; 
The visioned ages met his eyes,— 
He saw empires and nations rise 

In the swift-coming years. 



Upon the threshold of the land, 
He planted on the virgin strand, 

The Cross ; and blessing God, 
That banner to the breeze unfurled 
Which gave Hope to the Western World,- 

Then knelt and kissed the sod. 



The pilgrim, thus, in wordless praise. 
Stands on the mount as morning^s rays 

Illume the hemisphere; 
And seeing in the history. 
The ^^portraiture of things to be,'^ 

He too, becomes a seer* 




MOUNT OF THE HOLY CROSS 



The glorious view by night concealed, 
Now in the sunlight is revealed,- 

The land so long foretold ; 
Here lies the endless victory, 
The sequel of the prophecy 

Made by the mariner bold. 



The pilgrim, lifting up his eyes, 
Is thrilled to find the sapphire skies 

Of heaven so near, that he 
Could almost at a bound explore 
That line of undiscovered shore 

Across th^ ethereal sea. 



Then eastward o'er the rocky ledge, 
Through rifts in mists that wreathe the edge, 

He sees the heaven below; 
Far down where hills with emerald verge 
Into broad plains of verdure merge, 

And life is all aglow : 

A wide, wide sweep of rolling plain ; 
Billowy fields of ripening grain, 

Waving in golden sheen ; 
Rich harvests, for which earth, and sun, 
And rain, and wind, their work have done. 

Await the sickle keen. 



Scattered throughout, like Fortunate Isles, 
Are dotted homes where cheer beguiles 

Toil of its tediousness; 
And tiny streams, that lazily. 
With crystal feet trip toward the sea, 

With many a soft caress 



Of swaying branch ; while rows of trees 
And clumps of wood, -a noble frieze - 

Outline each winding path ; 
The pilgrim sees in wood and field 
And silver stream, by day revealed, 

The glorious aftermath. 



Turning from verdant plains that lie 
Smiling and beautiful, the eye 

Is greeted by a view 
Upon the west, of such intense 
Grandeur, and such magnificence, 

The soul is thrilled anew, 



With wonder at the Power displayed 
In huge uplifted rocks, arrayed 

In awful majesty; 
Range after range, height upon height. 
Attest the great Creator^s might. 

Silently, steadfastly. 



Canon, and park, and deep ravine, 
And valleys wide, lie in between ; 

Affording ample space 
For these gigantic mounts to stand 
In right perspective, tall and grand. 

With just proportioned base. 



The massive bulks, encircled Vound 
With rocky buttresses, tree-crowned. 

Send granite shafts up where 
Their snowy crests, like standards white. 
Advancing, catch the spears of light 

That pierce the upper air. 



Peak after peak of granite old, 
Pillars of strength with courage bold, 

Rise toward the vaulted skies ; 
Braving the wind and tempest^s shock, 
Piercing the clouds ; the furrowed rock 

The elements defy. 



As high as these vanguards ascend, 
In shade the canons downward trend ; 

And wide as mountain crest 
Lie valleys that the hills divide. 
And gulches that on either side 

Show seams on old earth^s breast. 



Where glaciers with pent-up force, 
Resistless, took their downward course, 

And tore through each stronghold, 
Channels, that treasure-trove disclosed ; 
And in their mad career exposed 

The arteries of gold. 

The earth^s thick crust by force compressed, 
In wrinkled folds is here confessed 

And much afar brought near; 
From age archaean to age of man. 
Earth-cracks expose the Builder's plan. 

And Nature's stores appear. 





AND TINY STREAMS, THAT LAZILY, 



To those who Nature love, and lift 
The hands of Industry and Thrift, 

She gives in fullest meed, 
The keys of those vast unexplored 
Treasury-vaults, wherein are stored 

Against the hour of need. 



Her greatest riches ; here is massed 
The wealth of all the ages past ; 

The beds of richest ore ; 
The mines that wait the hand and lamp. 
The pick, the hammer and the stamp. 

Their riches to outpour* 



Deluge, deposit, earth-quake shock, 
Have notched upon the conscious rock 

The wordless histories 
Of the primeval dynasties ; 
The slowly creeping centuries ; 

And all which underlies* 



From lifted slopes of sunshine, where 
Green, snow-fringed pastures lie, in air 

Pure as the breath of God ; 
From snowy cones, that silent grace 
The perfect blue of distant space, 

Down to the pregnant sod,-- 



He sees in all, the region blest, 
The sturdy safeguard of the West,- 

Colorado, snow-crowned, 
A brilliant gem upon earth^s zone ; 
A world, upon a rock-bound throne, 

Within herself is found* 



Northward upon the shining main, j 

Kissed by the foot-hills and the plain, I 

Beneath the azure skies, 1 
The city that so late has been 
Child of the West — but now the Queen ~ 

In youthful beauty lies. i 



The pilgrim's wakeful eye and true^ 
Sees Old Times giving place to New ; 

Sees the great century bell 
Swing toward another stroke; and hears 
Above the rushing flood of years, 

The Watchman's, ^'AU is well/' 



Then as- the century's course is run, 
He sees the world's Great Age begun ; 

The morning of the Time, 
When Liberty, o'er all the earth. 
Conceived above, will have new birth, 

And reign in ev'ry clime. 



He sees the old conditions change, 
As men to higher levels range ; 

The sunburnt sons of toil, 
Slaving no more for ** leave to live/^ 
But gathering, free to take or give, 

The first fruits of the soiL 



Sees them no longer sweat for wage, 
Nor by Oppression held in gage. 

But stand erect and free; 
And hears the universal cry 
Of Sorrow fainter grow, and die 

With Want and Misery^ 



Sees competition giving way, 

As toward its zenith climbs the day ; 

And the foundations tall, 
On which society now rests, 
Weakened with struggles and contests, 

In endless ruin fall. 



He sees arise from that ** dead fruit,^' 
By far a nobler substitute. 

The One Society ,- 
A great cooperative trust, 
To regulate and to adjust 

In perfect harmony. 



Each individual effort made^ 
With equal blessings on each laid, 

And cares commensurate ; 
He sees production everywhere 
Securing distribution fair, 

Just, and proportionate. 

As onward sweeps Humanity, 
The death-warrant of Tyranny 

Is written, sealed in blood ; 
But soon all battle-flags are furFd 
O'er federation of the world. 

And common brotherhood. 



A backward glance shows fair and strongs 
Columbia^ the hoped-for long, 

Rise with the courage meet, 
Claiming the liberty denied ; 
Striking the shackles from each side, 

And chains from off her feet* 



Sees in the triumphs of her worth, 
She did not fall below her birth ; 

Then sees in her the home, 
The place of refuge and of rest. 
To which the burdened and opprest 

From evVy nation come. 



Written upon her open gate, 
The early comers and the late, 

These glowing words may find : 
*^ Home of the brave and of the free ; 
The land of Opportunity ; 

Here leave all doubt behind/^ 



As portals of distance unfold, 
The pilgrim sees in outline bold, 

An Empire grandly rise ; 
In hour of its heroic prime. 
The greatest, noblest of all time ; 

The pride of earth and skies. 



An empire rich with beauty fraught, 
Of lofty character and thought, 

And highest, purest art ; 
Whose broad foundations firmly rest 
Implanted in th^ aspiring breast, 

And evVy beating heart. 

Where Science and Philosophy, 
Eager to gain the mastery 

Of Nature^s forces given. 
Have searched and found the hidden key 
That unlocks many a mystery. 

In earth and even heaven ; 



Making the sea and air highway ; 
Changing at will the night to day ; 

Analy2;ing each star; 
Counting the constellations bright ; 
Weighing the sun and moon outright ; 

Signaling worlds afar ; 

Advancing with tremendous speedy 
By means of an electric steed; 

Walking beneath the sea ; 
Descending to the central fire ; 
Treading the clouds as they desire; 

Onward eternally. 



Empire which shall no limit know, 
But on in boundless circles go 

Like waves of restless sea ; 
And which on ev^ry side extends, 
As far as mental power ascends 

Into infinity* 

The pilgrim sees in this same view, 
The Nation's rising glory too ; 

The Nation in whose hand, 
Won by her signal victories 
O'er all the earth, on land and seas, 

A sceptre lies, and wand* 




'THE MINES THAT WAIT THE HAND AND LAMP, 
THE PICK, THE HAMMER AND THE STAMP,. 
THEIR RICHES TO OUTPOUR." 



He sees her in her strength and might 
Standing for Brotherhood and Right; 

Synonymous her name 
With all opposed to wrong and ruth ; 
Justice, Sincerity, and Truth, 

The pillars of her fame. 

With government so wisely made, 
So firmly its foundations laid ; 

Whose laws so just and great. 
Broad-based upon the people^s will, 
''For, of, and by, the people'' still. 

Are held inviolate. 



A navy strong, — ship after ship 
Sailing with proud and stately dip, 

By shore and over sea ; 
Not to destroy, nor to invade, 
Their errands only friendly trade 

And reciprocity. 

He sees above each sail and mast. 
The emblem dear of victories past, 

''Old Glory'' gleam afar; 
'* The sign of hope and triumph high f 
Untarnished are the folds that fly-- 

The stripes and ev'ry star. 



He feels the earth responsive beat, 
Beneath the tread of marching feet ; 

In the procession long, 
He sees advancing steadily 
The generations yet to be,- 

A vast, progressive throng. 



A scene of light and glory this ; 
This land the world^s metropolis. 

In peace and strength secure; 
Of commerce, this the central mart; 
Home of philosophy and art. 

Science and literature. 



The glorious prospect made extant 
By morning^s rays that forward slant, 

And by the horoscope, 
Achievement and fruition shows 
Far greater than the Present knows, 

Or Past has dared to hope. 

He sees a time of world-wide peace. 
When hateful names of parties cease ; 

All private ends forgot. 
And civic broils and party strife ; 
One faith, one people, and one life ; 

One hope, one law, one lot. 



That happy time when western lyres 
Shall glow with purer, brighter fires, 

And sound more perfect strains ; 
When bards and sages gladly raise 
Loud notes in their Creator^s praise, 

That ring through earth^s domains. 



The pilgrim kneels again in praise ; 
As o'er him flood the noon-day rays, 

He sees the souFs high noon ; 
The soul, on whose endeavors rest 
Fulfilments of the visions blest. 

With heaven and earth in tune. 




IN HUGE UPLIFTED ROCKS' 



He sees the human mind expand 
To new conceptions, rich and grand, 

And ever upward climb; 
Lifers fullness bringing to the brim, 
While thinking God^s thoughts after Him, 

With energy sublime. 



He sees the human life emerge 
From out the dark, and upward surge 

Along the road to God ; 
The clouds of error, giving way. 
No more obscure the perfect ray 

That animates the clod. 



The earth-life, true to its design, 
At last approaches the Divine ; 

And through the ages long, 
There pulsates down the aisles of Time, 
In diapason, strong, sublime. 

One grand, harmonious song. 




^^'3t??^tfW^'*-. 



